


Trouble Is

by opal_sapphire



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 07:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18132659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_sapphire/pseuds/opal_sapphire
Summary: You and Klaus had a fight thirty years ago, and you left.  With the prophecy looming over the Mikaelsons, however, you're called back to help.  Will your strained relationship with Klaus make things worse, or will you be able to reconcile?





	1. Chapter 1

“Are you sure this is such a good idea?” you asked. “The last time I saw him it didn’t exactly go well.”

“I’m sure it will be better this time,” Rebekah assured you.

You stood next to each other outside the compound. The anxiety over what you were about to do was almost enough to make you turn and run. But you knew you had to do it. You had to at least try.

With that in mind, you entered. You stopped and listened. You were concentrating so hard you didn’t notice Rebekah come up behind you.

“He’s upstairs,” she whispered. You jumped, gaze following where Rebekah was pointing. You swallowed hard and climbed the stairs.

Time seemed to have slowed. Your heartbeat echoed in your ears, you could feel it in your fingertips and in your throat. Wait, how could it do that? This wasn’t Doctor Who, you weren’t a Time Lord so you definitely didn’t have two hearts.

You stopped just before the open door, taking a dip breath.

In.

Out.

You stepped just inside the doorway. Klaus was painting, his back facing you.

“Has there been another murder?” he muttered.

“I don’t know,” you whispered. He froze.

“That prophecy is a, uh, hell of a thing. Um, I want-um, I mean-I, uh-”

“Get out.”

“What?”

Klaus spun around and threw the paintbrush at you. You whipped your head and saw that it stuck in the wall bristles out.

“The next one will be in your head if you do not leave,” he growled.

Panicking, you spun around and practically flew down the stairs. You tripped a few times, but managed to keep yourself from falling over. You rushed past a shocked Rebekah and only stopped when you were a few feet away from the compound. You bent over, panting. It had been a long time since you’d run like that.

“Y/N!”

You straightened and turned around. Rebekah was right there.

“I heard the shouting, what happened?” she demanded. You shook your head, feeling so incredibly uneasy.

“I’d rather discuss it at my place,” you said in between breaths.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“He threw a paintbrush at you?!” Rebekah yelped incredulously.

You nodded. “Told me the next one would go in my head if I didn’t leave.”

She scowled. “He shouldn’t have done that, he had no right.”

“No, he didn’t,” you agreed. “But at least I tried.”

“But he didn’t hear you out.”

“When does Klaus ever hear anyone out when he’s that angry?”

“When he’s being held back.”

“Something tells me that would have had a worse outcome.”

You stood from the couch and got something to drink from the fridge. Rebekah declined your offer of a beverage.

“How are you doing?” she asked after a moment.

You shrugged. “Probably better than most people who get threatened with a paintbrush.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
That night you couldn’t fall asleep. It wasn’t that you weren’t comfortable, your brain just wouldn’t shut up. The day’s events kept replaying in your mind.

Frustrated, you threw the covers off and trudged over to the kitchen for a glass of water. You grabbed your laptop and a blanket and set up camp on the sofa. When you couldn’t sleep you would either read, browse the Internet or write. Tonight you wrote.

You opened yet another draft, and the quiet apartment was soon filled with sound of clicking. You just got it all out. All that sadness about the situation, all that anger at Klaus, just everything.

It wasn’t long before your head tipped back to rest on the back of the couch when you finally fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_**4 days earlier…** _

Your phone rang. And rang. And rang. You groaned. You really didn’t feel like answering it right now, but it must’ve been important for it to continue for this long.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Y/N?” a man’s voice asked back.

“Depends on who’s asking.”

“It’s Elijah.”

You paused. It had been nearly 30 years since you’d last spoken to any of the Mikaelsons. Then it hit you: the prophecy.

You will all fall. One by friend, one by foe, and one by family.

“It’s been a while,” you finally said.

“A long while,” Elijah agreed. “How have you been?”

“Oh, you know. Getting on. You?”

“The same, more or less.”

“No offense, Elijah, but something tells me you didn’t call just to check up on me.”

He sighed. “I’m afraid you’re correct.”

“Is it the prophecy?”

“How did you-”

“Word travels fast. And a prophecy like that, well…”

“I apologize for bothering you, Y/N, but I’m afraid I have a favor to ask of you.”

“I’m listening.”

“In light of recent events, we have found ourselves lacking allies.”

“You know I would never do anything to hurt any of you, Elijah.”

“I am very well aware of that fact, I assure you. I’m simply asking you to convince my brother to be open to the possibility of your return. That is,” he quickly added, “if you are alright with it as well.”

You froze for a moment as Elijah’s words sunk in. “So you want me to try to convince Klaus to accept the chance of me coming back?”

“Yes.”

“And what makes you so sure I would be willing after last time?”

He didn’t have a response to that. You exhaled.

“I can’t promise it’ll work, but I suppose I can try.”

You could have sworn you felt Elijah’s relief through the phone.

“Thank you, my dear.”

And you did try. But Klaus had threatened to turn you into a flipping paintbrush unicorn. What could you do? When he was angry, the smart thing to do was stay out of his way. But there had been a time when you could reason with him. That time had long since passed, though.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
You jolted awake. Did you dream it?

_Bam, bam._

No, there was definitely someone banging on your door. You stood up, heart pounding, and slowly made your way to it. You looked through the peephole. You undid the lock on the handle, leaving the chain in place, and opened the door a crack.

“What do you want?” you monotoned. Klaus stared intensely at you for a long moment.

“I came to make sure you were alright,” he admitted.

“Screw you.” You slammed the door shut.

Wait. How did he find you? You had literally just moved here not even a week ago. The only person who knew where you were was Rebekah. You sincerely hoped she hadn’t told him, but you wouldn’t put it past her either.

You glanced through the peephole again. Klaus was gone; or so it seemed. You grabbed your phone and shot a message to Rebekah, asking her if she’d said anything to Klaus. she responded almost immediately.

_Yeah, I did. I understand if you’re upset, but right now is not a good time for the two of you to be fighting._

You sighed. She had a point. With this stupid prophecy, they needed all the allies they could get. And you needed to prove that you would not be the friend to follow the prophecy.


	3. Chapter 3

You didn’t see Klaus again until Thanksgiving day. He never came back to your apartment, and even though you helped at the compound almost every day, you never saw him.

Exactly three days before Thanksgiving, Elijah came calling. You invited him in and asked what was up.

“Aurora has taken Rebekah,” he announced. “She’s locked her up somewhere and Freya can’t track her.”

“Whoa, um,” you responded. “What do I need to do?”

“We’re having Thanksgiving dinner with Aurora, Tristan and Lucien.”

You gaped. “And that’s a good idea because?”

“Tristan and Lucien are allied against us,” he explained. “If we gather all three of them together then we have a much better chance of getting answers.”

“So why am I needed?”

“Forgive my candor, but, should things not go as planned, we may need your help.”

You thought about it for a moment.

“I’ve always enjoyed a show to go with my meal,” you agreed with a grin.

You questioned your decision as you stood in the compound listening to Tristan and Lucien exchange sarcastic remarks.

“Lovely,” Klaus’ voice rang out behind you. “We’re all getting along.”

“Like a fuse and a match,” you quipped. He paused for a moment, seeming surprised at your presence. You had a feeling he hadn’t been aware of your invitation.

“I take it Aurora is on her way?” he carried on.

You did your best to hide your grimace. You did not like Aurora. Her voice dripped honey every time she spoke, she took Rebekah without warning, and you just got a bad vibe from her overall. She was cunning and quick, you’d give her that, but you wanted as little to do with her as possible.

“Sorry I’m late.” Speak of the she-devil. You almost snorted when you saw her dress. To be fair, it did look lovely on her, but those sleeves, just…wow. Alright, that was enough, you could make fun of her from the safety of your apartment. You zoned back in to the conversation.

“Well, well,” Aurora was saying. “If it isn’t my old friend, Lucien.”

“Hello, Aurora,” Lucien greeted. “It’s been ages. You look–”

“You look ravishing,” Klaus interrupted. He kissed Aurora’s hand, glancing up triumphantly at Lucien.

“ _Get a room_ ,” you quietly coughed.

“Welcome to our home.” All of you turned to see Elijah coming down the stairs.

“I do wish it was under better circumstances. We all face a common threat: a prophecy warning that my siblings and I would all fall within a year.” He looked at the three partners. “I fear my sister already has.”

“Only as a precautionary measure, I assure you,” Tristan pronounced. You rolled your eyes.

“Interesting,” Elijah responded. “You see, I would have called it an entirely unnecessary measure. We need to unite to prevent this prophecy from coming to pass, and since any alliance is impossible without honesty, let us begin this evening’s proceedings by acknowledging your clandestine alliance.”

He gestured to Lucien and Tristan. You watched, amused, as both men exchanged looks.

“Now, gentlemen, before–”

“Shh, shh, shh, shh, Lucien, please. Let’s not ruin the dinner before it begins.”

“And do try to keep in mind,” Klaus cut in. “We expect an honest and productive negotiation this evening.”

“Shall we begin?” Elijah asked.

Both brothers moved aside for the others to go to the heavily decorated dinner table. You nodded to both of them as you passed.

Tonight was going to be _very_ interesting.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The food was great, and the entertainment was proving to be even better. You mostly stayed quiet, making remarks when you felt like it.

Klaus and Elijah were each seated at the ends of the table. You were directly across from Aurora, with Klaus on your right. Next to you on your left was Lucien, and directly across from him was Tristan.

“It’s a bit odd, isn’t it?” Lucien remarked. “Celebrating an American holiday.”

“Well, you know, Lucien,” Elijah began. “I rather enjoy Thanksgiving.”

“The food is enjoyable,” you agreed.

“Yes, the turkey, the cranberry sauce, the lies, the deceit, the betrayal.”

You grinned around your fork.

“Perhaps we should begin this evening’s proceedings with a little confession,” Elijah continued. “And do help yourselves.”

“So this entire dinner is meant to be some boorish inquisition?” Aurora complained. “How rude.”

“Nonsense, love,” Klaus assured her. “My brother merely wishes to make certain we’re all on the same page, so who would like to begin?”

“I tend to trust the wrong people,” you admitted. You looked Klaus in the eye as you said it, and he glanced away. Aurora eyed you as a somewhat awkward silence fell over the table.

“Lucien and I have always loathed each other,” Tristan broke it. “Had we arrived with news of a bleak future, you would have doubted us. We sought to remove suspicion by maintaining appearances.”

“Oh my dear,” Elijah shot back. “These pathetic lies prove to be as difficult to swallow as your stuffing this year, Niklaus. Walnuts, honestly.”

You all chuckled.

“The bottom line is,” Lucien said. “We came to protect you and ourselves. We have never wavered on this point.”

“And the bodies on my streets,” Klaus mentioned. “Is that your protection as well?”

“It’s business as usual for the Strix.”

“An old tactic used often and to great success,” Tristan explained. “Jack the Ripper, Son of Sam. A frightened human populace is that much easier to control.”

“Pedestrian,” Klaus replied. “I would have expected more from such gaudy theatrics.”

“Well,” Lucien interrupted. “If one wanted to obtain a certain item in, say, a private collection but one was not invited to the home where said private collection was located, how would you suppose the item should be obtained?”

“I take it you are referring to the medallion?” Elijah asked.

“I suppose it was my sister who shared that bit of information,” Tristan grit out.

“Don’t blame Aurora,” Klaus insisted. “You two are hardly conspiratorial geniuses.”

A tense silence fell over the table again. You were beginning to wonder who was going to get their neck snapped tonight.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“A medallion that could lock us away,” Klaus pondered. “Hardly seems wise for those come to protect us. Hand it over.”

“And release Rebekah,” Elijah added, glaring at Aurora.

“Uh, just a tick, Aurora has Rebekah?” Lucien asked.

“Keep up, buddy,” you muttered.

Aurora shrugged. “No reason I shouldn’t be trusted with my sire’s safety.”

“Of course,” he agreed. “Unless you were to have one of your episodes.”

“Easy, Lucien,” Tristan warned. “My sister sought leverage to protect herself. Who among us would do otherwise?”

Maybe Lucien would have his neck snapped. But the night was still young, and you, for one, couldn’t wait for desert.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Of all the nauseating dinner theater we’ve endured throughout the centuries, these performances are, by far, the worst,” Elijah sighed. “Aurora. My sister.”

“Aurora is quite aware of our desire to see Rebekah home,” Klaus snapped. “And I’m sure she’ll do everything in her power to oblige.”

You glanced behind him to see Freya entering the room. She did not look happy.

“We’re inviting our enemies to the dinner table now?” she demanded. Her glare came to rest on Aurora. “Convenient, given she’s the one who has the answers I’m want.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Aurora snapped, rising. You almost imperceptibly leaned closer, thoroughly entertained by this part of the show.

“Nik, please spare me your family’s rage and paranoia. It is the kind of lunacy which led me to steal Rebekah in the first place.”

“What did you do with her?” Freya demanded.

“Oh, I’m sorry, love,” Aurora cooed. “But this prophecy has you all acting as fools. And I’ve no intention of risking my life to foolishness. Now, I can’t trust any of you with Rebekah, and I certainly can’t trust the silly dear to endure on her own, so I decided to put her some place safe.”

She looked around the table. “Imagine a spot where no harm could come to her. Where, in fact, no one could even track her down. Yes, rest assured Rebekah is perfectly fine.”

She paused, obviously relishing this moment.

“At the bottom of the ocean.”

You gaped. The bottom of the ocean?

“Tell me you’re bluffing,” Klaus demanded.

Aurora looked around, seemingly confused. “You should all be thanking me. Rebekah’s never been safer. There’s all the little crabs and–”

She was interrupted by Klaus banging his hand on the table as he stood. Tristan sped over to Freya, holding a knife to her throat.

“Harm my sister, and I’ll be forced to return the favor,” he warned.

Elijah grabbed him and yanked him away from Freya, holding him against the wall.

“Well, this all escalated very quickly,” Lucien commented.

You slapped him upside the head. “Shut up!”

You looked at Aurora, livid. Rebekah was your best friend, even despite the recent lack of communication. You were determined to find her, and destroy the ones who had taken her.

“Are you out of your mind?” you shouted.

“Well pardon me, but I don’t particularly care if I’ve offended you, love. Exactly who are you, anyway?”

“You have bigger problems,” Freya interrupted, snapping Aurora’s neck with magic.

You suddenly felt a hand on your thigh, and not for the first time that night. You grabbed Lucien’s arm and threw him against the wall. He yelped when you twisted his arm painfully behind him.

“You touch me one more time it will the last thing you ever do,” you growled. “Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” he grunted out. You didn’t let go of him.

“Y/N,” Klaus called. You whipped your head around to glare at him. His eyes widened at your now-black eyes.

“Do not tell me to release him,” you hissed.

“I was only going to tell you to bring him upstairs.”

You did, and the real show began.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After all the…“questioning” that had gone on, you were all gathered at the table once again. Desert had been served, and you were helping yourself, lost in thought. Tristan and Aurora each had one part of the coordinates to Rebekah’s location, thus were key to this puzzle. But how to get them to relinquish this info was the million dollar question.

“Well, despite our differences, I believe great strides were made today,” Tristan said, clinking glasses with his sister.

“Tristan, I can’t murder you this very moment, but I could just as easily tear those eyeballs from your skull and feed them to your sister,” Elijah threatened. You felt your appetite vanish at the too-vivid mental imagine.

“Elijah!” Klaus scolded. “These are our guests.”

“Nik, it’s so sweet of you to defend us,” Aurora thanked. You didn’t hide the eye roll this time.

“You know, I doubted my brother’s wisdom in bringing us all together today,” Klaus admitted. “But he was right. We must confront the harsh realities we all face, and make difficult choices to ensure our collective survival.”

Only he, Tristan and Aurora drank to that. The rest of you watched. Klaus went and stood next to Elijah.

“And I have every confidence that my choice,” he continued. “Will be the right one.”

Klaus stared at Tristan.

Tristan stared back.

You glanced back and forth between them.

Suddenly Klaus snapped Tristan’s neck. The rest of you jumped away from the table as Aurora gasped and shot up.

“Were you anyone else, the servants would already be mopping your blood from the floor,” Klaus warned. “If you do not bring my sister back, Tristan will die slowly and in tremendous pain.”

“You betray me after all your promises of love?!”

“I meant to keep those promises! It was you who shattered them when you took Rebekah. Now I have your brother. A sibling for a sibling. I want Rebekah back.”

Aurora leaned in close. “You will regret this,” she hissed.

She spun on her heel and stalked off, slamming the table as she went.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
You approached your apartment. Who would’ve thought that two people would get their necks snapped in one night? And what exactly did Lucien meant by “private collection”? What did the medallion, the Serratura, even look like? That last question would be helpful in finding it.

You were so lost in thought, you hadn’t been paying attention to your surroundings. Big mistake.

Aurora appeared in front of you from nowhere. You froze.

“Hello again,” she said. “I think it’s time we had another talk.”


	4. Chapter 4

_**30 years ago…** _

“Y/N!” Klaus called. You entered the room.

“Yes?”

“You have always been there for me,” he began. “For this family. And you have always had a place among us. So why you would do this to us, to me, I do not understand.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You spilled my secrets to a complete stranger!”

“I did no such thing! Where on earth did you get that idea?!”

“Do not lie to me!”

“I’m not lying, Nik, I swear!”

Klaus roared and slammed you against the wall. You yelped, trying to get his hands off your upper arms.

“Niklaus!” Elijah shouted, yanking him off you. Rebekah yelled at him, demanding to know what was going on.

“Y/N has betray–”

You slapped him, tears streaming down your face.

“How dare you. How dare you of all people choose to believe a stranger over me. You took me in, gave me a home, kept me safe, and in return I stood by you when no one else would, Klaus, and the only thing I ever asked for in return was respect.”

“You lost the right to respect when you divulged my secrets.”

“And there it is. You listen, but you don’t hear. In one ear, out the other. Your paranoia will be the death of you.”

“Leave. Now.”

Your mouth dropped open. You searched his face, his eyes. There was nothing but hatred. Your heart broke.

“You want me gone? You have your wish.”


	5. Chapter 5

You definitely hated her. You couldn’t understand why she apparently hated you. You’d only met her the day before! And it wasn’t as if you’d talked to her, let alone threaten her. But you had once had a good relationship with Klaus and, apparently, that was enough to make her feel threatened.

Now she’d locked you in this old church-turned-gym place with a bunch of brand spanking new vampires. Well, they were almost vampires. All they had to do was drink. And they wanted to, badly. Thing is, you were the only being full of blood nearby at the moment. You understood perfectly what Aurora was hoping to accomplish.

She saw a threat, and she was getting rid of it.

Now, you definitely weren’t fully human. You tried to make these poor guys stop advancing on you, but their minds were too strong right now. You couldn’t influence them at all. You kept trying, but you couldn’t do it forever. Sooner or later you would get tired. You knew that. They knew that. Aurora knew that, even though you were fairly sure she didn’t know what you could do.

You had finally managed to get all but one of the guys to back off, convinced to take a nap. But the one left was just too strong for you at this point. If you weren’t so tired, if you were at full power, you could easily take him down. You didn’t even have to kill him, or any of them, when they listened. But you weren’t so sure about this guy. He was just too determined.

You had talked to him, speaking calmly, like you weren’t about to die. You yelled at him. You even tried to scare him with your eyes and think the words at him. You were beginning to wonder if Aurora had done something else to this guy so you couldn’t beat him.

At this point you would be willing to admit that someone, even Klaus, had to come save you this time.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Now you were terrified. No one had come for you. You had been going in circles with this guy, but it was just too much. You tripped and fell backwards. He was on top of you almost immediately. You closed your eyes, accepting your fate.

_Crack._

His weight was off you. He wasn’t on top of you. Someone pulled you up and embraced you. You growled, ready to throw a punch.

“Y/N, it’s me, you’re safe, love,” he assured you.

 _Klaus freaking Mikaelson,_ you thought.

After avoiding you like the plague and trying to turn you into a paintbrush unicorn, he had saved your life.

You gaped. That’s all you could do. You couldn’t think of a snarky comment. Frankly you couldn’t think of anything to say. So you stood there. In his arms.

Then it really hit you.

You had almost died.

You needed to hold something. To someone. So you did. You latched onto Klaus. Your eyes burned, but no actual tears came. You two stayed there for who knows how long.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“We have all the information we need from her,” Klaus said.

“And where is Aurora now?” Freya asked.

“Probably off somewhere plotting revenge.”

“Fantastic,” you said dryly. “Now not only do we have to find this stupid medallion, but we also have to be wary of one of your scorned lovers.”

Screams came from across the compound.

“I’m guessing Tristan isn’t giving anything up?”

“No,” Freya sighed. You nodded and stood.

“What are you doing?” Klaus asked, following as you made your way to the newest torture room.

“I’m gonna get the longitude.”

“That’s too dangerous.”

“Less dangerous than making me into a paintbrush unicorn?”

No response. You smirked.

You walked into the room. Hayley was there, looking angry and satisfied at the same time. You gestured to a glaring, panting Tristan.

“Mind if I give it a go?” you asked.

“Be my guest,” she replied.

You took a deep breath and stepped forward. You cleared your mind and focused on Tristan.

 _Give me what I want,_ you commanded in his mind. _Give me the longitude, Tristan. This is the least painful way to do this. This isn’t even the most invasive. I’m giving you one last chance to give it up voluntarily. Don’t make me do the worse one._

He sneered at you. “The Strix will come for me before I give you anything.”

You shrugged and turned to look at the others behind you. “Unless you absolutely think I’m about to die, do not stop me once I’ve started.”

Klaus scowled at you, while Hayley and Freya exchanged confused looks. You stepped behind Tristan and grabbed both sides of his head.

You invaded his mind.

There was a lot there. Memories, mostly of him and his sister. Useless information. You got a glimpse of a golden, circular object. You grabbed onto that image again, quickly memorized it, and continued your search. You could hear Klaus calling you.

“Almost there,” you hissed.

There. The last of the coordinates. You stuck your hand out.

“Pen,” you grit out. You felt someone place one in your hand and guide you to some paper. You quickly jotted it down and let go of both the pen and Tristan’s head.

You gasped for breath and bent over. Tristan started shouting, so you broke his neck. Your stomach rolled. You ran to the bathroom and heaved. You wiped your nose, blood coming off on your hand.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

You cursed, standing up. You grabbed a tissue and cleaned your face off.

“That was dangerous, Y/N, too dangerous,” Klaus continued.

“It worked, didn’t it?” you spat.

“That’s not the point. I almost lost you once already–”

You spun around. “ _I am not yours to lose, Klaus._ Besides, you lost me a long time ago. You had 30 years to contact me, but you didn’t. When I came back you threw a paintbrush at my head and told me you wouldn’t miss next time. And then you have the nerve to check on me, unasked and certainly unwelcome, and proceed to avoid and ignore me.”

“If it weren’t for me you would be dead,” he countered.

“You’re right about that, and I do appreciate it. But it does not mean we can go back to how it was, and it certainly doesn’t give you the right to baby me.”

You stormed past him and to the front door.

“Where are you going?” he yelled after you.

“Away from you.”

“Aurora is still out there, Y/N, and your little apartment is not safe right now!”

“You’re welcome to follow me, but I will not invite you inside.”  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Klaus did actually follow you. And you did actually slam the door in his face. Unlike last time, however, he didn’t leave.

You knew coming back probably wasn’t a good idea. But you had nowhere else to go at the moment. Besides, you had a very particular reason for coming back to your apartment.

“Y/N, can you please let me in?” Klaus called. “People are beginning to stare at me.”

“Probably because you’re standing outside my apartment door in a very creepy manner,” you mumbled. “Which is where you’ll stay unless you want to leave.”

“Now is not the time to let grudges hold, love.”

You yanked open the door and slapped him dead across the face. “I am not your love. Get back to me on grudges when you’ve apologized.”

You slammed the door again.

You searched through your dresser, your bathroom drawers, your kitchen drawers, you upturned the living room and your bedroom. Nothing. The last place you could look was your closet.

“Y/N,” Klaus called again. You groaned.

“I’m sorry.”

Hold up. Did Klaus Mikaelson really just apologize? He was probably only doing it so you’d let him in. Still, you opened the door and stared expectantly at him.

“I never should have done that to you. You didn’t deserve it. I should have believed you. I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you. I should have gone after you.”

You watched him, waiting for the “but” that always follows this apology. But it never came.

“No buts?” you asked. “No excuses, no reasons? You’re actually apologizing and not trying to justify it?”

He nodded. You closed your eyes and sighed. You weren’t annoyed. You weren’t upset at all. You finally got what you’d wanted for the past three decades. You gave Klaus a half-smile.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “You can come in, just lock and chain the door behind you.”

You went back to your closet, pulling out more boxes.

“What are you looking for?” he asked.

“When I turned 18, my mother showed me a brooch,” you began. “It was a massive thing, almost looked too big to be one. She said it had magical properties, but she wouldn’t say exactly what. I’d forgotten about it until now.”

“Y/N, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked slowly.

“I don’t know for sure. When I was in Tristan’s mind I saw what looked like that brooch. I don’t know why else he would know about it, where he could’ve seen it before. My mother always kept it locked away.”

You and Klaus searched the rest of the boxes. And there it was, in the last box. That golden circular object.

_The Serratura._


	6. Chapter 6

“Absolutely not,” Klaus insisted.

“Last time I checked I’m free to do as I please,” you shot back.

“Not at the cost of your life.”

“Does she know what I can do?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Then she’ll be in for a nice surprise.”

“Don’t underestimate her, love.”

“Aurora tried to have me killed. I’m not in the habit of underestimating people.”

“Please, Y/N, just tonight.”

“I’m not letting her drive me out of my apartment.”

“Do you have any sense of self-preservation?”

“More than you.”

“You’re coming back with me, Y/N, it’s only temporary.”

“…how long are we talking?”

“At least a couple night.”

“Will you stop nagging me if I agree?”

“Yes.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

You hesitated. “Fine, but you’re gonna have to wait while I pack an overnight bag. And get that triumphant grin off your face.”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
You couldn’t sleep. It was incredibly weird to be back here after so long. You’d wandered the halls for a while, then decided to sit on the balcony. It was the quietest you’d ever heard it since you’d been back. So not very quiet.

You stuck your legs through the gaps in the bars of the railing. The cold air hit you in the face, making you shiver.

“What are you doing out here?”

You turned your head, watching Klaus as he joined you.

“Couldn’t sleep,” you replied.

A comfortable silence draped over you for a few minutes. Well, you would find it comfortable if you could get your mind off of how close the two of you were sitting. You’d be lying if you said it was only a “we’re just friends” feeling you had towards him. You thought that had gone away over the past three decades, but apparently not. You knew you had to be careful; you could feel your heart pounding right out of your chest, and you were almost positive he could hear it.

“Do I make you nervous?” he asked.

“Wha-what do you mean?” you responded, shocked.

“Your heart is going a mile a minute, love.” He glanced away. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” you blurted. “I mean, not if you don’t want to.”

“Is there something bothering you then?”

You glanced away.

“If it’s Aurora,” he answered for you, taking your hand. “She will not harm you again.”

You nodded, squeezing his hand. You couldn’t bring yourself to tell Klaus that yes, he made you nervous, but not because you were scared of him. You were nervous because, even after all this time, you were in love with him.


	7. Chapter 7

In the weeks that followed, events fired up very quickly. Rebekah was found and brought home. Lucien was a…whatever you wanted to call him, but he was better than an Original now. Aurora had snapped and tried to kill everyone, and when that didn’t work, she teamed up with Lucien. And now you were freaking out. Why?

They had taken Klaus.

You knew they were at Lucien’s penthouse. The question was how to get up there, get Klaus and get back out alive. Years of experience with situations like this had taught you to think things through. Come up with a plan of action, a strategy, but do it fast. You were usually very in tune with this skill, and you prided yourself on it. This time, however, was different.

You decided the best course of action was to book it to the penthouse and make heads roll. No forethought, no planning, just fighting. Well, there was some planning. You weren’t, after all, a complete idiot.

Armed with a spray bottle of vervain, you put your plan into action.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Time seemed to slow as you stepped out of the elevator. Anger boiled inside your chest and spread throughout your body when you saw Klaus tied up. Lucien wasn’t there. But Aurora was.

“Oh my,” she gasped. “This day just keeps getting better and better.”

You didn’t say anything. You ran at her, spraying vervain in her face. She screamed, and you took advantage and tackled her to the ground.

“She drank the serum!” Klaus shouted.

You growled and hit her over the head with the metal spray bottle. She went out like a light. You wasted no time in untying Klaus and getting out of there.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
You came up behind Klaus, who was standing over an unconscious Aurora. She would stay that way until a way to kill Lucien was found.

“You alright, love?” he asked, leading you away.

“I wasn’t the one who was kidnapped and tortured,” you replied quietly.

He hummed in response. “So tell me. How long did you spend planning my rescue?”

You grinned. “I didn’t really plan it at all. Just grabbed the bottle and took off.”

“That was brilliant, Y/N.”

“Thanks.”

You slapped him. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” You walked on,willing your eyes to stop burning.

Klaus had other plans. It didn’t take long for him to catch up to you, and when he did he grabbed your wrist and spun you around. You instinctively ducked your head. You hated anyone seeing you so vulnerable.

“Y/N, love, look at me,” he pleaded. You hesitated for a moment before obliging.

“I’m not gonna go down that easy,” he said, gently holding your face.

“Promise?” you whispered, gripping his wrists.

“Promise.”

You looked into each others eyes for what felt like forever,inching closer and closer. Your heart was racing. You were about to break the silence when your lips met his.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
You glanced up from your book. Klaus was on a rampage again, shouting about how ridiculous it was that all of you were trapped inside the compound. He stormed into the room and dropped next to on the sofa. You set your book aside.

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” he muttered. “I refuse to be a prisoner in my own home.”

“I know,” you sympathized. “But it’s absolutely necessary right now. We still don’t have a way to kill Lucien, Nik, and until we do, this is the best defense right now.”

He was quiet after that, and you went back to your book.

“Paintbrush unicorn?” Klaus suddenly asked.

“What?” you looked up. “Oh. Well, what am I supposed to call it when you throw a paintbrush at my head?”

“I suppose you have a point.”

“Alright, lovebirds,” Rebekah said, entering the room. “We may have found away to kill Lucien.”


	8. Chapter 8

This was not going well. You were 90% sure you were about to die, and there was nothing you could do about it. Klaus couldn’t save you this time. Your life literally rested in Lucien’s hand, and his actions depended on Klaus.

 _It’s not supposed to end like this,_ you thought. _Lucien is supposed to die, not Klaus. Not me._

The plan was Klaus and Hayley would drive out somewhere remote to lure Lucien away from the city. You would tail them, making sure to stay hidden. That part went fine.

What none of you had anticipated was the van that T-boned Klaus and Hayley, whose car flew into you, knocking you unconscious. When you came to, you found Hayley, woke her up and convinced her to find the others, that you would help Klaus.

Now, after much fighting, Lucien had his hand around your heart. It was a feeling you hoped you never experienced again.

“I don’t care who dies,” Lucien was saying. “But since you do, indulge me. And I just might spare the love of your life. Kneel. Get on your knees.”

Klaus glared at him. You coughed up more blood, shaking your head. Lucien squeezed harder, making you yelp.

“Do you really want to measure your pride against my mercy?” Lucien scoffed.

Klaus looked down, slowly descending. In that moment you knew what you had to do.

In order for you to enter someone’s mind, you had to somehow be connected to them. It was easiest if you grabbed their head, but you could do it with another body part if you had to. Lucien’s hand was inside your chest, so you had a pretty good shot at getting in there. There was only one problem:

_It was almost certain you would die._

Tears spilled down your cheeks. You didn’t want to die, you weren’t ready for it, even after all these years. Yet here you were. You steeled yourself.

You closed your eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Lucien’s hand was suddenly out of your chest. You gasped, relief flooding through you for a moment. You spun around and grabbed his head, careful to avoid his mouth.

All you had to do was break him. Break his mind and take him down. You concentrated. You showed him every vile thing you could conjure up, anything and everything that might even have a chance of working. You were running out of material, so you began screaming inside his brain. Nothing could stop any of it. He could close his eyes, but the images would still be there. He could cover his ears, but the screaming wouldn’t stop.

You didn’t stop. You couldn’t stop. You didn’t know how long Freya needed to do the spell. You only knew Lucien had to be kept down at all costs for as long as possible.

It wasn’t until Klaus yanked you off Lucien did you stop. Freya had already done the spell, but you hadn’t noticed and wouldn’t let go.

You had never been in someone’s mind for so long. Just two minutes took a toll on you; you could only imagine how long this had been. Klaus handed you over to Elijah and approached Lucien. They talked, but you couldn’t hear it. You couldn’t hear anything over the sound of your heart pounding.

You tried to control your breathing. In, then out, slow and deep, but it wasn’t working. Your face felt wet, but was it from tears or blood? Or both? Everything was blurry, like trying to look at the reflection in a foggy mirror. You couldn’t hear anything now, not even the thump, thump of your heart. You felt sick, like you were about to throw up, and tired, so tired, so incredibly exhausted. You lurched, your stomach rolling with the ground.

You were out before you hit the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

Voices. All around you. No, far away. No, they were coming from all around–no, it’s both far away and all around. How is that even possible? What were they saying? Everything was muffled, like you had your ear pressed against the wall. If only you could open your eyes, then maybe you could see where you were and who was talking. Wait, were the voices clearing up now? You strained your ears.

“Niklaus, calm yourself.” Elijah.

“How could I possibly be calm at a time like this?” Definitely Klaus.

“Y/N just needs rest, Nik.” Rebekah.

 _Crash._ If there was one thing that could get to fully wake, it was the sound of something breaking. Your eyes opened and jumped out of the bed. Almost instantly everything began rolling around you. You squeezed your eyes shut.

In.

Out.

You opened your eyes again and nothing was moving anymore. You carefully but quickly made your way to the empty doorway, peeking your head to try and see any sign of damage.

Nothing. But there was shouting.

“Klaus, knock it off, this isn’t doing any good!” Hayley.

You followed the noise downstairs. A table had been flipped over and split in half. The couch was upside down. And standing in the middle of it all was Klaus.

“What is going on here?” you demanded.

Everyone stopped and stared at you.

“Do I have something on my face?” you quipped.

Almost as if on cue, everyone but Klaus crowded around you, asking if you were okay, why you were out of bed, what happened, etc. You explained, constantly glancing over to make sure Klaus hadn’t disappeared just yet. Finally satisfied, they dispersed and left, seeming to realize you and Klaus needed a moment (or several) alone.

You jerked your head in the direction of the balcony. He followed.

Being daytime, it wasn’t as quiet as the last time you two sat here, legs between the bars. It was just as cold, though.

Klaus was being unusually quiet. Truth be told, it was making you a little nervous.

“I’m afraid I don’t remember much after I went into Lucien’s mind,” you admitted.

“You distracted him long enough for Freya to do the spell,” he began after a minute. “But you wouldn’t let go. I had to pull you off him, and then I killed him. Then you passed out.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Almost 24 hours.”

You blinked, mouth dropping open. You quickly closed it. You reached for his hand, but he pulled away. Hurt bloomed in your chest, tightening your throat. He wouldn’t look at you. You looked down at yourself. You were still in your bloody clothes from yesterday. You clenched your fists, fixing your stare at the ground below.

Deep breath in.

Out.

“It takes two to carry on a conversation,” you mumbled.

“What would you like me to say, Y/N?” Klaus snapped.

You looked at him, surprised and angry. “Oh, I don’t know, how about ‘how are you feeling’ or ‘thank you’, that would be nice. Not a tense silence where you don’t even look at me, thank you every much.”

He stood up and began walking away. You stood as well.

“What is your problem, Klaus?” Your voice shook, and you cursed yourself for it. “What did I supposedly do this time?”

He whirled around. “You nearly died, Y/N!”

“And I would do it a thousand times over if it meant keeping you safe! I knew the risks, Nik, I’ve known for a very long time. Someone was going to die and it _had_ to be Lucien.”

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispered.

Your heart broke. You walked up to him and took his hands. “I’m not gonna go down that easy, Nik.”

Klaus wrapped his arms around you, holding you as if you might disappear any moment. You returned the embrace. Neither of you spoke; you didn’t need to.

Lucien was dead. The prophecy had been beaten. You and Klaus had finally reconciled, and then some. There was peace in the Mikaelson household once again.


End file.
